When the college football transfer portal closed on Jan. 16, Elon football didn’t just lose names on a roster – it lost faces of a season and production that powered the Phoenix through 2025.
In total, Elon lost 15 players in this portal, 6 more than last year. Elon’s biggest departure looms at quarterback.
Redshirt freshman Landen Clark’s lone season as Elon’s starter felt anything but temporary. He threw for 2,231 yards, accounted for 29 total touchdowns and brought an edge to the offense that earned him Coastal Athletic Association Co-Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. For much of 2025, the offense ran through Clark’s arm and legs. Now, after Clark transferred to Louisiana State University, a Power 4 school that last won the national championship in 2020, it’ll belong to someone else.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Landen Clark passes against Davidson College at Rhodes Stadium on Sept. 6.
Backup quarterback Marco Lainez also moved on. After transferring from the University of Iowa and spending 2025 behind Clark, Lainez thanked Elon on social media for giving him a “place to hang his pads” while he worked his way back to full health.
On top of losing the team’s best arms, Elon lost its most productive pass catcher.
If there was a single snapshot of Elon’s 2025 season, it might be sophomore Isaiah Fuhrmann racing 97 yards for a game-winning touchdown against Campbell University. Once a zero-star recruit out of high school, Fuhrmann became the Phoenix’s most dangerous receiving threat and transformed into a 3-star prospect entering the portal. In 2026, he’ll take that rise to the Georgia Institute of Technology, another Power Four program.
The running game will take a hit, too.
Sophomore running back TJ Thomas Jr. — a 2024 freshman All-American — gained 1,952 total yards during his two seasons at Elon, splitting carries with senior Jimmylll Williams. He’ll now play for the University of Minnesota.
Up front, five offensive linemen entered the portal, including consistent starters Luke Duska, Ahmarion McLeod and Brayden Walker. Their departures leave holes that Elon sought to replace in the portal.
Elon’s defense lost many key departures as well. Defensive lineman Kahmari Brown, a second-team All-American in 2025, departs after a breakout sophomore campaign. The only CAA player with double-digit sacks now heads to the University of Iowa.
Five defensive backs also exited, including Brycen Scott, who appeared in 20 games over two seasons. Linebackers Asher Cunningham and Gavin Brandwood round out the departures, transferring to Utah State and Davidson, respectively.
Head coach Tony Trisciani said that the state of Elon football is very healthy when it comes to transfers.
“We have some of the lowest numbers of transfers in Division-I football,” Trisciani said. “Last year we only had 9, the year before that it was only 8. We just don’t have many.”
Despite the lower transfer numbers, Elon lost 11 impact starters to the portal and graduation.
But as the roster thinned, Trisciani went to work. Six new transfers now arrive in Elon’s locker room.
Quarterback Brady Stober, a North Carolina native, comes in after a freshman season at Samford University. A former 3-star recruit who scored 9 total touchdowns in five starts his rookie year, Stober brings both pedigree and production to a quarterback room suddenly wide open.
Trisciani said the Phoenix tried to recruit Stober out of high school. Elon was the quarterback’s first official college offer.
“When the coaching staff changed at Samford, we saw it as our opportunity to take another shot at Brady,” Trisciani said. “He was a highly productive and efficient and winning quarterback in high school.”
After losing multiple veterans on the offensive line, Trisciani said it was a priority to bring in experienced replacements. Ethan Gonzalez Bonilla arrives from Christopher Newport University after starting 11 games at left tackle and helping lead the Captains to a 10-0 record. He earned first-team New Jersey Athletic Conference honors in 2025. Gabe Navarro, who most recently played at North Carolina A&T after beginning his career at Virginia State, adds 22 career starts and in-conference familiarity.
“It was important, because we’re a relatively young group on the offensive line,” Trisciani said. “We’re bringing back four guys with starting experience, and now adding on two more.”
Trisciani said connections are important when gauging players in the portal. This was the second time Elon eyed Navarro, after bringing him in for a workout when he transferred from Virginia State.
Elon also has connections to Jack Cooper, safeties coach at the University of Wisconsin. That’s how Trisciani learned of redshirt freshman Remington Moss, a former 4-star defensive back coming out of high school.
Trisciani said Moss’ versatility is exciting for the defense. His ability to flex between corner and safety with a 6’1” frame will be an important factor in the upcoming season.
Linebacker Derek Hite transfers from the Virginia Military Institute after tallying 61 tackles and two sacks his freshman year. Nick Jones joins from Hampton, looking for his first collegiate snaps after a redshirt freshman season.
According to Trisciani, Elon prepares some of its players to transfer to higher-respected conferences.
“We’ve done a great job developing in the evaluation process and development to where now it's hard to keep some of our top players,” Trisciani said. “If they play at a high level and they have the measurables, then they'll have some opportunities to transfer up. What we want to do is try to get them an Elon degree first, and then go on and use their additional years of eligibility at a Power-4 program.”
In response, the team tries to anticipate the gaps it’ll need to fill and reach out to players in the portal. Although Elon’s incoming transfer class is smaller than its departures, Trisciani said it was important to get the right guys.
“If we’re bringing in five or six guys, we can handle that,” Trisciani said. “We just want to put our arms around them and love them. Like step-brothers.”
The 2026 roster will look different, younger in some spots, unproven in others, but reshaped with intention.